January was a truly odd start to 2024 for me, but a good thing to note is that it included a LOT of time to work on making cards and spend time with my best friend back home in Pennsylvania. So beyond grateful for that! Somehow my cards-to-send backlog pile seems bigger than ever, but I keep working at it, and have been happy with how much happy mail I've been able to share in the past month.

Also very happy at these lovely people who shared their wonderful cards with me!

u/AppleCritter723 (x2) - Thank you so much for thinking of us after we had to say goodbye to Titan the Large Wonder Kitty. And thanks, too, for the dwarf galaxies postcard and note - super jealous about that Green Day experience!

u/Aviana9 - Thanks for the winter fairy tale-style postcard!

u/babyraspberry (x4) - Thank you for the wonderful Happy New Year 2024 postcard from your store, the Disney Cinderella postcard, the upcycled New South Wales Blue Mountains card and the wonderful Siamese cat card, plus the extra goodies! I am sure Mabel will be wonderfully well-trained because I see how much time and attention you give her!

u/cassius1213 - Thank you for the fun puzzle in the Arches National Park card - my answer should be arriving to you soon!

u/Championvilla - Thank you for the great card of Ching Shih the female pirate and all the sticker goodies!

u/cswl (x10) - I have mail coming your way with answers/thoughts on several things you wrote about, but for the short thanks version, thank you for: the Letter S monogram postcard, the handmade abstract flamingo postcard, the Light Up My Heart penguin Christmas card, the floral card, the Come On Up and See Me Sometime card, the Letter S monogram folded card, another floral card, an abstract watercolor postcard that I believe you had some "help" making, the pretty lavender card, and your long letter!

u/dwrfstr - Thank you for the Imagine postcard, the stickers that I am sure you got from work, which made me smile, and for the history mystery, which inspired a card I will be sending as part of an upcoming offer!

u/Fancykiddens (x2) - Thank you for the kind card in memory of Titan, and also for the fun "Is this how dating used to work, really?" Valentine card.

u/freakyfreakycreepy (x2) - Thank you for the great Hamburg cards for both me and my Spawn! :)

u/GingerJellyPaw - Thank you for the great illustrated cat postcard with the Filipino “cat’s tongue” cookie recipe - they sound a little like un-whipped meringues, kind of?

u/grrr112 - Thank you for the wonderful Spirited Away postcard of Chihiro and Noface!

u/isar-love (x2) - Thank you for the snowflake shaker card and the AMAZING happy birthday penguin pull-tab card... wow! I have already taken a photo of that to save for a nomination in Best of RAoC 2024 :)

u/kittycatcon (x2) - Friend, you're not wrong with this If Cats Could Text You Back, They Wouldn’t postcard! And thanks, too, for the donut pun handmade postcard!

u/KoreWrites - Thanks for the New York Yankees flashback Pomegranate photo postcard - how was Daiso?

u/LateStartKSMama - Thanks for the great butterfly postcard!

u/melhen16 (x2) - Thank you so much for the handmade Valentine heart card with the plantable seed-paper heart, the mini-note and the blank heart notepaper; thanks, too, for the great card made from purple washi with the nice quote!

u/mepritha2012 - Thank you for the cute postcard from The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse... I'm happy to hear that your new supervisor is so good!

u/Mikepenpal6 - Thank you for the pretty thank-you postcard!

u/Monetmonkey (x3) - Thank you for the amazing upcycled envelope of the “stonechat” bird with the owl hello card, the Donut Worry postcard, and the pretty notecard (and notepaper!)

u/ninajyang - Thanks for the Loupaper chile peppers postcard... excited to see you soon!

u/nonoyo_91 (x3) - Thank you for the Meow-y Christmas from the Cat card, stickers, and the two positivity cards. It is you who are awesome, and me who is grateful to call YOU a friend!

u/orangewolpertinger (x4) - Thank you so much for the wonderful penguin Let it Snow card, the two Hello There cards, the Ted Lasso card and all the goodies you spoiled me and my offspring with. You are so wonderful!!

u/powelale000 (x2) - Thank you for the handmade desert lizard ombre card and the wonderful Happy Valentine’s Day card! Thanks, too, for the Valentine conversation heart die-cuts and heart bird sticker!

u/rosemarysimmons - Your Christmas postcard with your hand-drawn penguin on it was absolutely wonderful and I am so grateful! I am thinking of you, friend!

u/sebisrude (x2) - Thank you for the wonderful handmade You Make My Heart Happy Valentine card, as well as for your kind and beautiful handmade card after we said goodbye to Titan. I share your feelings about the dentist and I'll be sending good thoughts your way!

u/shouldbeteaching - I just cannot say WOW enough about your happy mail. You made a truly phenomenal custom Happy New Year card with your own custom vellum wrapper of little pink penguins, AND you put my big penguin Hoogerheide (in his wonderful vest from our wedding) on the envelope??? I hope the mail I am sending you in return makes you happy, but I warn you now that it will be nowhere NEAR that cool!! This was another one that I already photographed and saved for Best of RAoC 2024 nominations...!

u/skylineprophets - Thank you for the fun outhouses postcard from your creative reuse store, and the penguin sticker!

u/slavkan12 - Your Bleatles sheep pun postcard made me laugh! Thank you!

u/spookyoneoverthere (x3) - Thank you for the vintage white cat postcard, the mini-postcard of the cuddling cats, and the mini-postcard of the black cat holding a drink, as well as the great cat stickers!

u/stephkempf - Thanks for the marbled card with your World Domination game results... of course I lost FIRST. I didn't even make it to the age I am now in real life! Oh, well, at least I came in first at... something...!

u/thecaledonianrose - Thank you for the great Year of the Dragon card, dragon stickers and green tea!

u/TigerLady13 (x3) - Thank you for the New Year Blessing card and song recommendation, your letter with the "exchange" questions (to which my answers are coming your way soon) and your separate letter! I'll be in touch as soon as I can with some updates and thoughts!

u/time2snuggle - WOW! Your rendition of your gardening adventures as re-enacted by Plush Pink Pengin and friends is TRULY amazing and beautiful... you apologized for the wait and sent extra goodies but honestly it would have taken me that long or longer to draw all that, so ZERO complaints from me... you are fabulous and truly made my day!

u/todayisfab (x3) - Thanks for the Happy Valentine’s Day card, Bee’s Knees card and Meowy X-Mas destash card, plus all the goodies!

u/travel4me22 (x2) - Thank you for the absolutely silly and wonderful Fishing You a Happy New Year handmade polar bear and fish window card, and the handmade penguin Valentine card with your amazing hearts from your handmade paper, plus all the extra papers!

u/TyeDyeAmish - Thanks for the somewhat unusual postcard of the Catholic sepulcher in Granada!

u/umeshufan - I adore the dolphin postcard from your trip... I hope it was as excellent of a time as I imagine!

u/yomelette - Thank you for the American Goldfinch card, the plantable lavender seeds and the wonderful blank mini-cards!

u/zenshark33 - Thank you for the floral card catching me up on your plans for the year to come! I hope your sharkfriend is still giving you lots of hugs from me.

And finally, meetup thanks to u/wabisabi_sf, u/ribeyecut, u/LA_Gemini23, u/littlemermaidxx (x2 each) for the Alcatraz Island postcard as well as the Postcrossing meetup postcard!